The present invention relates to automatic rubber stamps of the type comprising a housing and incorporating therein an ink pad compartment, so that a separate ink pad is not required. More specifically, the invention relates to an automatic rubber stamp of the type noted above which provides a multi-colored ink pad and which is made of more easily assembled parts.
Automatic rubber stamps of the type to which the present invention relates are well-known in the art. They contain a housing and an internally-incorporated and replaceable, ink pad. A spring-loaded hand actuated member, slidably mounted on the housing, moves an internally mounted rubber stamp support plate up and down in the housing, in a manner which pivots the support plate to contact the ink pad in one position and to face an opening in the housing adjacent a paper to be stamped in another position. As noted, these automatic, self-inking rubber stamp devices are well-known in the art. One of the distinct disadvantages of the known devices is that they contain a pin which passes laterally through the housing and which supports the rubber stamp support plate. During assembly, the pin must be carefully aligned with the rubber stamp support plate and small holes in the housing, which slows the assembly process. Moreover, all known automatic, self-inking rubber stamp devices provide a single color ink pad, which allows only single color printing.
An example of a prior art automatic rubber stamp is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 5,152,223, the contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.